Wednesday, February 27, 2013

My KIND of bar

I don't know about you, but I am ALWAYS on the lookout for great-tasting, healthy snacks that my kids will actually eat. The problem is, those two adjectives rarely go together when it comes to kid-friendly food. I'm also not a fan of food dyes and HFCS, so that rules out a majority of snacks right there.

And let's not forget about the D-factor either.

So when the good people at KIND Healthy Snacks contacted me about trying some of their product, I couldn't help but be a bit skeptical. It's been my experience that most of these types of bars taste like sawdust held together by some type of sweet goo, masquerading as honey. But they sounded pretty good, so I thought I'd give them a try.

The verdict? So far I have been blown away by how GOOD these are. Even their names are mouth-watering.

Madagascar Vanilla Almond? Yes, please!

Dark Chocolate Nuts and Sea Salt? Yum!

Those are just a few of the tasty snack bars they offer. Each bar falls into one of three categories; Fruit and Nut, Nuts and Spices, and Plus. The Plus variety has the added boost of nutrients like protein, fiber, antioxidants or omega-3 fatty acids.

The day they arrived, we waited until afternoon snack to try them out. I chose the Dark Chocolate Nuts and Sea Salt, and Elise wanted Almonds & Coconut. Both of them looked amazing and they didn't disappoint. Elise's was a perfect blend of almonds and sweet coconut (yes, I stole a bite), and mine paired the yummy goodness of dark chocolate with just the right amount of salt to satisfy my sweet and salty craving.

Even better is how each bar has listed buzz words right on the packaging that are important to a lot of people that are concerned with what we are putting into our body. For example:

Non GMO

Gluten Free

No Sugar Alcohols

Low Glycemic

Dairy Free

No Trans Fats

Low Sodium

We were also given some granola to try, and so far I am loving the Maple Walnut Clusters. It is the perfect breakfast with a bit of milk with a few cut-up strawberries thrown on top. It's also great sprinkled over yogurt.

Note that the bag is open... I kinda couldn't wait to try it out!

So far the entire family has loved everything they've tried. Now Mattias, who picked the Fruit & Nuts in Yogurt, ate about half before he lost interest. But I chalk that up to the fact that he's two, and has rather eclectic tastes for a toddler. He loves spring rolls and will steal them from your plate, but will sometimes refuse to eat fries.

Yes, my son wears pink, hand-me-down bibs... I'm totally cool with it

Now, you may be wondering how the bars affected Elise's BG. The first bar she tried, Almonds & Coconut, she was at 180. She ended up in the 300s, but that's not a fair test because I had *just* changed her pod and we are still doing battle with post pod-change highs.

The next day, she selected a Dark Chocolate Cinnamon Pecan. She was 70 pre-bar, and 103 a few hours later. And she thought the bar was, "awesome-chawsome!" I took that as a good thing.

Most bars have between 14-26g of carbs, 3-5g of fiber and 3-7g of protein.

She's a bit of a clown

So, here's my final thoughts on these bars from KIND Healthy Snacks...

All natural ingredients? Good!

A healthy snack that won't spike Elise's BG? Good!

Dark Chocolate Nuts and Sea Salt? Goooooood!

If you go to their website at www.kindsnacks.com, you can find a list of where to buy them, and approximately how much they retail for.

Check out their website. KIND isn't just their name; it's their philosophy. They even have a section devoted to encouraging people to go out and "do the kind thing" by partnering with KIND to help out in their community. I love doing business with companies that give back, and I can't wait to stock up my pantry with more KIND Bars.

And you can stock up too! The kind people at KIND (see what I did there?), sent me a box of extras that I am hiding from my family, to give to one lucky reader! To enter, just go to their website by clicking here, and scope out all the yummy goodness that they offer. Then come back and leave a comment telling me which you think you would like the most. I will pick the winner by a random drawing on Monday, March 4. Good luck!

***As with all reviews, the opinions are solely mine. While I did receive free product to review, I was not asked to write about it, and did so of my own volition. No, I cannot be bought, even with food.***

Haven't tried them. And - I was absolutely positive that a store near me wouldn't carry them but - did the store check page and they're carried in a store not too far.Almond & Apricot sounds yummy.How are you doing, mom of 3 young ones?

Yum!!! I've never tried the granola, but I've had a few Kind bars and liked them. I think my new fav flavor would be Dark Chocolate Cinnamon Pecan. Or, of course, that Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt one you mentioned. Mmmmmmmmm.

Love, love love cranberry almond. So yum. Pod change highs are so annoying but lately we've struck upon the right combo of tricks: test bg, give correction plus one full unit from old pod. Slap on new pod and go +50% temp basal for five hours. Of course "your diabetes may vary". My chickie is in the throes of puberty and needs so much insulin it is astounding. Hopes all is well with you and your kiddos. Baby is precious.

Madagascar Vanilla Almond or Dark Chocolate Cinnamon Pecan are the ones we would love to try in our house! Might need to find these - probably have to go for a drive to get to a store that carries them since I live in such a tiny town that doesn't carry anything like this.

About This Blog

I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV. I am just a Mom whose little girl has Type 1 Diabetes. On this blog you will find tips and advice, but it should NEVER be a substitute for your doctor's wisdom. If your child has diabetes, or you suspect that your child has diabetes, please seek the attention of a healthcare professional, and not some crazy, over-worked, frazzled, sleep-deprived nutjob who has staked out her corner of the world-wide-web-information-super-highway and is espousing her viewpoints from it.